Intrepid co-founders give horror thriller 'Screw' a turn

PATRICIA MORRIS BUCKLEY For the North County Times

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Christy Yael, co-founder and producing artistic director of the Intrepid Shakespeare Company, hasn't graced the company's stage since its first production, "Macbeth," in 2009. When her partner, Sean Cox, approached her about the two of them appearing in a two-person version of Henry James' "The Turn of the Screw," she had to be convinced.

She didn't need to be encouraged to get on the stage again, but rather to perform in this chilling ghost story.

"Stephen King called it the quintessential ghost story," she said of the play. "Just reading it, I got scared. It's the ghost story of ghost stories."

"The Turn of the Screw" is told through the eyes of a woman hired to be the governess to two strange children in the late 1800s. She starts to see a man and woman that the other servants don't see, then learns that a male and female servant recently died. These dead servants may have done evil things to the children.

"You have no idea how it's going to end," Yael said. "It's beautifully written. We don't even know if the ghosts are real or in her mind. Everyone has their own opinion."

This is a play that Cox, the company's co-founder and artistic director, has wanted to perform for a long time.

"It's a challenging play, but it's also wonderful," he said. "It fits into our company's mission statement to tell great stories with passion. This is one of those plays that is all passion, imagination and language, as opposed to relying on big scenery. It has the same feel as a Shakespeare play, with high energy and fast-paced language. Plus, it really is a chilling ghost story, the kind that makes the hair on your neck stand up."

The show came along at the perfect time. The couple had wanted to work with director Jason Heil and the theater had a two-week window of opportunity. So they seized the chance to create a special engagement with this show.

Yael has enjoyed the chance to switch from directing a show or running the company for being one of two actors on stage.

"It's been fun because I'm using different muscles," she admitted. "It's fun also because Sean plays multiple characters, from a gentleman to a little boy to a housekeeper. That's what gives the play its theatricality."

Cox relishes the ambiguous ending.

"It's one of those 'drive home' plays," he said. "It makes people talk on the way home. That's because it's not just a ghost story, but also a psychological thriller. It shows how great writing can be scary. And this show really does give you chills."